The Construction and Metal Workers' Union (CMWEU) in Mauritius began the year with a strong focus on remedying workers’ rights violations in Chinese multinational company (MNC), Beijing Construction Engineering Group Co. Ltd (BCEG).
Pat Kan CHAN passed away in mid-February 2025. Born in 1951 to a working-class family, he began his career as a garment worker. When factories in Hong Kong shut down and relocated to China, he transitioned to the construction industry.
The BWI-affiliated Turkish Cement, Ceramics, Pottery, and Glass Industry Workers’ Union (ÇİMSE-İŞ) held its 22nd Ordinary General Assembly in Ankara, Türkiye, on 15-16 February under the theme “From Stability to the Future.”
The Building and Wood Workers' International (BWI) has launched the “Building Collapse Watch," a global initiative addressing the alarming rise in preventable building collapses.
Trade union leaders, activists, and experts convened on 28–29 October to demand stronger commitments from Heidelberg Materials on decent work and a just transition. The meeting, supported by IndustriALL Global Union, Building and Woodworkers’ International (BWI), and the European Federation of Building and Woodworkers (EFBWW), outlined critical labour concerns at the German multinational and set a bold action plan to amplify worker voices.
The Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) is once again protesting against the unacceptable working conditions and lack of social dialogue at the Calcia cement plant in Couvrot, France—one of Heidelberg Materials Group’s subsidiaries. The situation is intolerable and violates the company’s stated values.
The Building and Wood Workers' International (BWI) has issued a comprehensive new report titled “Concrete Solutions: Advancing a Just Transition in the Supply Chains of Building Materials Including Cement”, emphasising the urgent need for a just transition in the cement industry amidst far-reaching decarbonisation efforts.
Unite the Union, in partnership with the Building and Wood Workers' International (BWI) and supported by the C40 Cities VISIBLE project, concluded a learning tour focused on modern methods of construction and workforce integration within the green economy on 2nd and 3rd September, 2024, in Glasgow, Scotland.
The Building and Wood Workers' International (BWI) and the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40) have renewed their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on addressing the challenges posed by climate change in cities and to promote a just transition within the construction industry.
BWI notes with deep concern the proposed legislation concerning administration of BWI affiliate Construction and General Division -CFMEU introduced into the Australian Parliament by the Federal Government.
The Building and Wood Workers' International (BWI), in collaboration with the Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB), has produced a policy brief on the prospects of green jobs in construction.
In a significant step towards enhancing workers’ health and safety, the French government has extended the compensation scheme for construction and public works (BTP) workers to include work stoppages due to heatwaves.
In a clear triumph for workers' rights, the BWI-affiliated Construction Workers’ Union of Mauritius (CMWEU) successfully negotiated a sectoral collective bargaining agreement applicable to workers in the construction sector.
Warsaw, Poland - The BWI Conference on Reconstruction in Ukraine, held on April 9-10, 2024, convened stakeholders to address the daunting task of rebuilding Ukraine following Russia’s invasion of the country. Participants engaged in firsthand reflections on the invasion's onset and strategic discussions on the path forward.
The Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI), particularly its Asia Pacific Regional Office, stands in solidarity with the 22 project-based workers of the Asian Development Bank -funded (ADB) Malolos-Clark Railway Project (MCRP) who are protesting against Cadcor Builders and Trading Corporation for delayed wages.
Construction workers in Nigeria, represented by the National Union of Civil Engineering Construction, Furniture and Wood Workers (NUCECFWW) and the Construction and Civil Engineering Senior Staff Association (CCESSA), staged a three-day strike over the non-implementation of wage awards in the industry.
The BWI-affiliated Trade Union of Construction and Building Materials of Montenegro (SGIGMCG) recently finalized an amended national collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the Union of Employers of Montenegro (UPCG) last 23 January 2024.
The Heidelberg Materials Global Union Network, comprising 20 activists and leaders from trade unions in 10 countries affiliated with the Building and Wood Worker’s International (BWI), IndustriALL Global Union, and the European Federation of Building and Woodworkers (EFBWW), convened in Steinbach.
In Uttarakhand, India, forty one (41) construction workers were trapped on 12 November when the Silkyara Bend-Barkot tunnel collapsed during construction by the Navayuga Engineering Construction Limited (NECL).
A delegation by the Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) went to Tanzania on 14 until 17 August 2023 and visited the Twiga cement company in Dar es Salaam, which is part of the Heidelberg Materials’ group of companies.
BWI is protesting the lack of social dialogue at the Calcia cement plant in Couvrot, France, one of the Heidelberg Materials group’s subsidiaries, as it continues to monitor a strike mounted by workers of the said plant on 6 September.
BWI on 5 September renewed its global framework agreement (GFA) with Veidekke at a ceremony coinciding with the company's yearly national gathering of around 70 local union representatives.
On August 22, embattled Filipino cement workers in Davao, Philippines, issued a notice of strike (NOC) against Holcim for negotiating in bad faith the provisions of a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) and committing numerous other unfair labour practices.
The TKTMS, a BWI affiliate in Southern India, formalised its existing social dialogue with the Confederation of Indian Industry – Indian Green Building Council (CII – IGBC) and the Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India (CREDAI) through a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed on 27 July 2023 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
The Building and Woodworkers’ International (BWI), representing 12 million workers worldwide, expresses its full support and solidarity to the four Unite trade unionists who were dismissed from their jobs by Murphy International.
On 20 April, the Trade Union of Construction and Building Materials Industry Workers of Serbia, and the Sector for Construction, Building Materials, and Housing Industry of the Union of Employers of Serbia signed a nationwide special (branch) collective agreement covering workers in Serbia’s construction and building materials industry.
The Construction and Building Materials Workers Union of Sweden (Byggnads) started to collectively bargain for the renegotiation of five collective agreements that cover 100,000 construction workers, glass industry workers, plumbers, and assemblers.
“Holcim has money to join a super boat race and ‘commit’ to a circular economy, but what is the company doing to implement and promote good working conditions, and health and safety in its operations?”
The General Agriculture and Plantation Workers’ Union of Zimbabwe (GAPWUZ) gathered on 20 and 21 of October for a two-day wood and forestry social dialogue meeting.
The Turkish Wood and Paper Industry Workers’ Union (AGAC-IS) went on strike on 27 October as a response to the years-long union busting and other labour rights violations of ASD Laminat, a Turkish wood processing company infamous for its anti-union policies.
After six weeks, the woodworkers of Weyerhaeuser ended their strike and returned to work on 30 October after reaching a new agreement with the company.
Last 22 October, trade union members of the key global union players have come up with an action plan to establish social dialogue with the Heidelberg Materials Group. The event was held on 18 and 19 October with affiliates from IndustriALL Global Union, Building and Woodworkers’ International (BWI), and the European Federation of Building and Woodworkers (EFBWW).
The Société du Grand Paris (SGP), the Building and Woodworkers’ International (BWI) and its affiliated French trade unions have signed a charter on social commitments related to the Grand Paris Express (GPE) following a joint international visit to the construction site of the future Gustave-Roussy station in Villejuif, France. This is the first time that an international visit took place at the said site.
The workers and management of the Sagrex Heidelbergcement company in Belgium reached a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on 6 September after a week of strike actions from trade unions.
150 workers have been on strike at the Sagrex-Heidelbergcement company in Belgium amidst a 31 August conciliation that has failed to deliver as expected.
The BWI-affiliated Indian National Cement Workers Federation (INCWF) and the All India Cement Employees’ Federation (AICEF), along with other leading trade union federations, submitted a “joint charter of demands” to the Cement Manufacturers’ Association (CMA) regarding the provisions of the next wage increase agreement (1 April 2022–31 March 2026).
El Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Construcción e Industrias Afines (Histadrut), la Asociación de Constructores de Israel y la Asociación de Contratistas de Renovación firmaron el 12 de junio un Convenio Colectivo de Trabajo (CCT) de carácter nacional destinado a mejorar las condiciones de los trabajadores y trabajadoras en la industria de la construcción. El CCT provee aumentos de salarios y un compromiso de los empresarios de la industria por mantener la SST. La vigencia del convenio, que es una adición y actualización del CCT del 2015, es de 5 años, sujeto a la emisión de una orden de prórroga por parte del gobierno.
Después de ser pospuesta el año pasado debido a la pandemia, la ICM finalmente llevó a cabo una misión de alto nivel en Ankara, Turquía, del 24 al 27 de mayo, con el fin de promover una mayor solidaridad y diálogo con los miembros del Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Industria del Cemento, Cerámica y Vidrio (CIMSE-IS).
"El trato de las EMN Chinas con los trabajadores y trabajadoras depende de la fuerza de los y las sindicalistas". Este fue el punto de partida con el que los sindicalistas que asistieron a la Conferencia Global de la ICM sobre la Iniciativa de la Franja y la Ruta de China (BRI) iniciaron su jornada de discusión y trabajo sindical.
En un esfuerzo colectivo y sostenible por responder a los desafíos que supone la surgimiento de empresas multinacionales chinas en la industria de la construcción global, la ICM organizó una Conferencia Global sobre la Iniciativa de la Franja y la Ruta (BRI, por sus siglas en inglés) del 12 al 14 de junio en Manila, Filipinas.
En una reunión masiva de trabajadores y trabajadoras, a la que asistió nada menos que el presidente argentino Alberto Fernández, se celebró la recuperación de 200.000 puestos de trabajo en la construcción en Argentina, después de que se perdieran a causa de la pandemia.
El 14 de mayo, la Asamblea Extraordinaria del Sindicato de la Industria de la Construcción y los Materiales de Construcción de Bosnia y Herzegovina (SGI IGM BiH) eligió a los miembros de su Consejo de Supervisión y de la Comisión Estatutaria y verificó el mandato de los miembros de su Junta Ejecutiva.
La Asociación Internacional de Maquinistas y Trabajadores Aeroespaciales (I AM), uno de los sindicatos más grandes de América del Norte, hace un llamo para prohibir totalmente todas las importaciones de maderas duras y blandas provenisntes de Rusia y Bielorrusia.
Los sindicatos de IKEA Budowlani y Solidarność en Polonia iniciaron un proceso de conflicto colectivo como respuesta a la negativa de la empresa a corregir la tasa de inflación que se tenía en cuenta en los salarios de sus trabajadores y trabajadoras.
After a week of negotiations between governments, employers and trade unions, workers in the construction sector worldwide will now benefit from a new code of practice with concrete guidance on improving health and safety.
La Federación Sindical Unitaria de Dinamarca (3F), la federación sindical más grande y fuerte de Dinamarca, con aproximadamente 280.000 miembros, visitó el 9 de febrero la Oficina Regional de la ICM para África y Medio Oriente, localizada en Johannesburgo. El objetivo de la visita fue establecer ayuda y alianzas sindicales para defender los derechos de los trabajadores y trabajadoras de la construcción en la región.
La ICM condenó las manifestaciones misóginas realizadas por Eduardo Bolsonaro, Diputado del Congreso Nacional, sobre la participación de mujeres trabajadoras en las actividades de la industria de la construcción y la ingeniería de Brasil.
Pierre-Yves Dermagne, Viceprimer Ministro de Bélgica, se unió a la ICM y sus sindicatos afiliados belgas en una visita al proyecto de construcción de la Torre Superior de Dubai que está construyendo BESIX. Una vez allí, tuvieron la oportunidad de hablar con los trabajadores migrantes empleados en el proyecto.
El Presidente de Histadrut, Arnon Bar-David, el Presidente de la Asociación de Constructores de Israel, Raul Srugo y el Presidente del Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Construcción-Histadrut, Yitzhak Moyal llegaron a un acuerdo en medio de una grave escasez de trabajadores en la industria
Pakistan dam worker complaint to proceed at World Bank watchdog following mass termination
Workers at the Karot Hydroelectric project in Northern Pakistan have won the right to a full investigation regarding a complaint it filed before the International Finance Corporation (IFC) on violations of freedom of association, health and safety and other labour rules.
El 25 de enero, se cumplirán tres años desde el colapso de la represa Vale en Brumadinho (Minas Gerais), que cobró la vida de 270 personas y dejó al menos seis personas desaparecidas aún al día de hoy.
El Parlamento Europeo (PE) adoptó una resolución el 16 de diciembre mediante la cual expresa su grave preocupación por el abuso y explotación de trabajadores vietnamitas empleados en la fábrica de neumáticos Linglong en Serbia.
La Internacional de Trabajadores de la Construcción y la Madera (ICM) e IndustriAll renovaron la queja internacional contra el gigante del cemento, Holcim. Ambas organizaciones exigen que la empresa tome medidas urgentes sobre las muertes y lesiones reportadas de varios trabajadores en sus plantas en India.
En el Día de las Ciudades, Regiones y la Construcción de Medio Ambiente en la COP26, el C40 Cities ha lanzado hoy una nueva coalición de ciudades y empresas del sector de la construcción para abordar el desafío urgente de las emisiones del sector de la construcción global. Esto no sucederá sin los trabajadores y trabajadores, por lo que el C40 también ha lanzado una Declaración Conjunta con la Internacional de Trabajadores de la Construcción y la Madera para garantizar una transición justa.
La ICM, en colaboración con el C40, participó en la Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Cambio Climático en Glasgow, Escocia, llevando las voces de los trabajadores, trabajadoras y sindicatos a los debates sobre una "transición justa" hacia una industria de la construcción limpia y ecológica.
El impacto del COVID-19 en la industria del cemento, la SST, la tecnología limpia y los derechos de los trabajadores fueron algunos de los temas discutidos en una reunión que convocó a más de 70 sindicalistas de 20 países, en la reunión conjunta de la Red Sindical Mundial de HeidelbergCement de IndustriALL, ICM y FETCM. El encuentro se organizó con el apoyo de la Fundación Friedrich Ebert.
IG Metall está exigiendo un aumento salarial del 4,5 por ciento en la industria de procesamiento de madera y plástico, a través de sus negociaciones colectivas, que comenzaron en septiembre pasado.
La ICM expresa su alarma y preocupación por la muerte de dos trabajadores contratados en dos plantas de cemento propiedad de Holcim en India. Las muertes, que ocurrieron en el lapso de solo una semana, son profundamente inquietantes.
Diferentes sindicatos afiliados a la ICM en Burkina Faso denunciaron públicamente el derrumbe de un edificio en construcción en la Universidad Norbert Zongo, en Koudougou. El accidente resultó en la muerte de cuatro personas y un herido.
La Red Sindical Global Faber-Castell, una asociación de diferentes sindicatos que trabajan en esta Empresa Multinacional (EMN), distribuyó paquetes de alimentos a trabajadores despedidos por Faber-Castell Perú.
El Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Construcción y Materiales de Construcción de Ucrania (PROFBUD), afiliado a la ICM, y el Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Madera de Ucrania firmaron un "acuerdo de asociación" para luchar conjuntamente por los derechos laborales y presentar una presencia unificada ante los empleadores y las autoridades gubernamentales.
El Sindicato de la Construcción, Silvicultura, Minería y Energía (CFMEU) denunció en los "términos más enérgicos" el violento ataque de una turba extremista a las Oficinas de su filial en Victoria, el martes anterior. CFMEU asegura que la turba estaba conformada por neonazis y otros grupos del ala extremista del país.
La campaña de la Federación de Trabajadores de la Construcción Civil del Perú (FTCCP) para reducir el peso de los sacos de cemento transportados por los trabajadores ganó impulso con la Federación de Trabajadores del Cemento y Premezclado del Perú (FETRACEPPE), quienes han sumando su voz para apoyar la iniciativa.
17 sindicatos de Argentina, Brasil, Chile, Colombia y Perú, bajo el liderazgo de la ICM América Latina y el Caribe, acordaron trabajar juntos para proteger la salud y seguridad a través de una acción conjunta tendiente a la erradicación del uso de materiales de construcción peligrosos en los lugares de trabajo.
El gigante cementero multinacional LafargeHolcim y HeidelbergCement persisten con sus esquemas de subcontratación laboral en África y Medio Oriente, incluso en medio de una pandemia que continúa destruyendo millones de empleos e ingresos en todo el mundo.
UNITE, el sindicato de la construcción más grande del Reino Unido, está luchando para asegurar el acceso sindical a todos los proyectos de construcción de HS2, los cuales van desde Londres hasta Birmingham, con el fin de garantizar que los trabajadores reciban una remuneración justa y disfruten de entornos laborales saludables y seguros.
El Sindicato dos Trabalhadores da Construção Pesada do Estado do Paraná (SINTRAPAV-PR) y el Sindicato Dos Trabalhadores nas Indústrias da Construção e Do Mobiliário de Telêmaco Borba (SINTRACON-TB) negociaron exitosamente nuevas condiciones salariales con Klabin, el mayor exportador y productor de papel para soluciones de embalaje de Brasil.
La Red de Represas de la ICM y los movimientos sociales de Minas Gerais en Brasil exigen a la multinacional Vale que pague la suma de R$38 mil millones (USD 7,5 mil millones) como indemnización por los daños causados por el colapso de su represa "Brumadinho" en enero de 2019. El accidente dejó 270 personas fallecidas, la mayoría de las cuales estaban relacionados con SITICOP-MG, sindicato afiliado a la ICM.
Five people were killed and another nine were critically injured at a construction site in Antwerp, Belgium on 19 June after a section of a school building under construction collapsed, pulling down the scaffolding supporting it.
El 9 de junio, nueve personas murieron y otras ocho resultaron heridas cuando un edificio de cinco pisos que estaba siendo demolido se derrumbó y enterró un autobús que transportaba a 17 pasajeros en Gwangju, Corea del Sur.
Minha Casa Minha Vida ("Mi casa, mi vida"), el programa de vivienda social más grande de Brasil y que tiene como objetivo construir un millón de viviendas, se ve comprometido por recortes presupuestarios.
La "Caravana de Historias de los Trabajadores de IKEA" de la ICM volvió a visitar dos fábricas de Inter-IKEA en Polonia, donde más de 5.000 trabajadores, junto con sus sindicatos, obtuvieron grandes victorias en sus campañas por salarios justos.
En su Consejo General Anual del 4 de mayo, LafargeHolcim, que desde entonces se ha rebautizado como Holcim Ltd., recompensó a sus accionistas con dividendos por valor de 1.200 millones de francos suizos a pesar de una caída del 13 por ciento en las ventas debido a la pandemia.
En representación de 12 millones de trabajadores de 367 sindicatos ubicados en 116 países, la Internacional de Trabajadores de la Construcción y la Madera (ICM) respaldó la "Declaración sobre Construcción Limpia" del C40 y el compromiso asumido por los alcaldes de ciudades pioneras de todo el mundo por garantizar el uso eficiente de recursos, resiliencia y la descarbonización en edificios e infraestructura.
El Consejo Sindical Mundial LafargeHolcim, la unión de todos los sindicatos globales que representan a trabajadores que laboran en el gigante del cemento, exigió a la empresa multinacional que respete los derechos de los trabajadores, proteja los puestos de trabajo, garantice la salud y la seguridad en el trabajo y reduzca drásticamente el trabajo precario.
La mayoría de los trabajadores de Italcementi en Reazzato, Italia, se declararon en huelga de cuatro horas el pasado 15 de abril para protestar por el mal comportamiento de la empresa hacia sus empleados y, en gran medida, por el deterioro de las relaciones laborales en la empresa.
La amenaza de una huelga por parte de noventa y un (91) trabajadores impidió que una subsidiaria de HeidelbergCement en Bélgica implementara esquemas de subcontratación laboral.
La ICM expresa su seria preocupación por el despido de 17 sindicalistas que trabajaban en Hima Cement Limited, una subsidiaria de LafargeHolcim en Kasese, Kampala, Uganda.
La ICM expresó su preocupación ante la posibilidad de que alrededor de 100 trabajadores franceses de LafargeHolcim se vean afectados por el supuesto cambio de la empresa a combustibles alternativos.
La “Caravana de historias de trabajadores de IKEA” de la ICM de este año comienza con la alarmante historia de represión sindical en la empresa Nova DIPO, un proveedor de IKEA en Gornji Podgradci, República de Srpska.
El proyecto de construcción más grande de Francia, la Villa Olímpica, de 30.000 m2, comenzará en la primavera de 2021 después de retrasarse un mes debido a la pandemia del COVID-19.
La Federación Sindical Progresista 47 (C-47), afiliada a la ICM en Surinam, salió victoriosa en su disputa laboral con Greenheart Group N.V., una compañía global enfocada en la extracción, procesamiento, comercialización, venta y provisión de madera y productos madereros.
La organización afiliada a la ICM, Thamizhaga Kattida Thozhilalargal Mathiya Sangam (TKTMS) y la Coalición de Construcción e Inmobiliaria (CRIC) realizaron una protesta en todo el estado en Tamil Nadu el 4 de febrero contra lo que han denominado como un "aumento anormal" de los precios de materiales de construcción, como el como cemento y el acero.
El 3 de enero de 2020, un edificio que se estaba construyendo en Kep, Camboya, colapsó y mató a 36 trabajadores. Un año después, no ha habido justicia ni responsabilidad.
El 3 de enero, el Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Construcción y la Madera de Camboya (BWTUC) expresó su decepción por la lentitud del gobierno para responder a la demanda pública de justicia y rendición de cuentas con respecto al colapso de un edificio en Kep, en el sur de Camboya, hace un año, en el que murieron 36 trabajadores y hubo 26 heridos más.
La ICM pidió a la Corporación Financiera Internacional (CFI) el 15 de diciembre que explicara el despido masivo de 2.410 trabajadores en el Proyecto Hidroeléctrico Karot, un mega proyecto de infraestructura que esta institución está financiando en Pakistán.
BWI’s “IKEA Workers’ Caravan of Stories” shares the story of how a good union-management partnership at a workplace in Republika Srpska resulted in good working conditions for IKEA supply workers and increased productivity for the company.
A través de una modalidad mixta de interacciones electrónicas, redes sociales y actividades presenciales tradicionales, la ICM en asociación con el Ministerio de Desarrollo Administrativo, Trabajo y Asuntos Sociales (MADLSA), el Comité Supremo de Entrega y Legado (SC) y varios socios de apoyo solidario realizaron una la exitosa Conferencia Deportiva Global de dos días sobre derechos laborales y la Copa del Mundo de la FIFA 2022, durante el 23 y 24 de noviembre.
La solicita a las autoridades francesas que no dejen piedra sin remover en su investigación del líquido filtrado en el río Sena de París, el cual proviene de una planta perteneciente al gigante cementero franco-suizo LafargeHolcim, y que generó gran indignación pública.
La ICM ha sido informada de la reciente venta de GNE LafargeHolcim Granulats a LafargeHolcim Bélgica. LafargeHolcim Granulats (agregados) se encuentra en la frontera belga.
Byggnads, el sindicato sueco de trabajadores de la construcción, ha amenazado con ir a la huelga la próxima semana debido a la renuencia de la Federación de Empleadores Byggföretagen por abordar los accidentes mortales relacionados con el trabajo en toda la industria durante sus negociaciones colectivas.
La organización afiliada a la ICM en Alemania, el Sindicato de la Construcción, Silvicultura, Agricultura y Medio Ambiente (IG BAU) da la bienvenida al compromiso de empresas globales de cemento y materiales de construcción, como HeidelbergCement y LafargeHolcim, de reducir sus emisiones de carbono.
La ICM publicó un mapeo de las operaciones de HeidelbergCement y LafargeHolcim en la región de Medio Oriente y África del Norte (MENA), el cual informa sobre el cumplimiento de las empresas con los estándares internacionales y regionales.
Cerca de 2.000 trabajadores del proyecto de construcción de energía hidroeléctrica Suki Kinari (SK) en el norte de Pakistán han estado en huelga desde el 27 de octubre. Los obreros protestan por la restricción a su libertad de movimiento, despidos ilegales y la denegación de horas extras, permisos y bonos COVID-19.
El Sindicato de Trabajadores de Cemento, Cal y Afines de Zimbabwe (CLAWUZ) denunción y condenó el trato inhumano contra 150 trabajadores empleados en la Diamond Cement Company, cerca de la ciudad de Kwekwe en Zimbabwe central.
La Federación Sindical Progresista 47 (C-47), organización afiliada a la ICM en Surinam, exige el reintegro de los trabajadores sindicalizados que fueron despedidos y el pago de salarios en Greenheart Group NV, una empresa multinacional de extracción, procesamiento, comercialización, venta y suministro de madera y productos derivados.
La reunión de la Red Global de Cemento de la ICM con sus afiliadas en todo el mundo se centró en temas clave, incluida la Iniciativa de Empresas Responsables de Suiza, que representa una esperanza para los trabajadores de todo el mundo. Esta reunión virtual, celebrada el 14 de octubre de 2020, reunió a unos 40 participantes.
About 40 participants from unions affiliated to Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) and IndustriALL Global Union met online on 13 October to discuss developments and challenges for employees of German building materials multinational HeidelbergCement.
Los sindicatos y las organizaciones de la sociedad civil en Camboya están contentos con la decisión del gobierno de nombrar a 362 inspectores para monitorear, observar, investigar, inspeccionar, recolectar evidencia y promover la implementación de las leyes de construcción.
El paquete de estímulo de 100,000 millones de euros presentado por el Primer Ministro Jean Castex el 3 de septiembre destinará 30,000 millones de euros a un Plan de Transición Ecológica (el elemento central del paquete) y otros 7,500 millones de euros al sector de la construcción.
Con motivo del Mes de la Familia Ladrillera en agosto, la Unión Obrera Ladrillera de la República Argentina (UOLRA) realizó una reunión en línea con trabajadoras ladrilleras para presentar los principales logros y esfuerzos del sindicato en materia de igualdad de género.
Los sindicatos afiliados a la ICM en India y Serbia se unieron para ayudar a 51 trabajadores migrantes indios que quedaron varados sin trabajo ni salario en el país balcánico.
Esta es la segunda etapa de la "Caravana de Historias de Trabajadores de IKEA" de la ICM. Esta campaña permitir que los trabajadores de IKEA en diferentes países compartan sus vidas y experiencias laborales. En esta ocasión, nos referiremos al Gabinete de PT Integra Indo, ubicado en Sidoarjo, Java Oriental, Indonesia.
La ICM lanzó recientemente la "Caravana de historias de trabajadores de IKEA", la cual tiene el objetivo de permitir que los trabajadores de IKEA en diferentes países compartan sus vidas y experiencias laborales. La primera parada de la caravana fue en la fábrica de IKEA Industry en Tikhvin, Rusia, que se encuentra en la región noroeste del país. La fábrica, que emplea a más de 1.000 trabajadores, produce muebles IKEA y consta de departamentos de aserraderos y muebles.
En respuesta a la gran cantidad de muertes relacionadas con accidentes laborales en el sector forestal, el Sindicato de Empleados de Agricultura, Silvicultura, Ganadería y Medio Ambiente (TARIM ORMAN-IS) llevó a cabo una capacitación en Salud y Seguridad en el Trabajo para 45 trabajadores forestales rurales. La actividad se realizó el 18 de julio en una aldea forestal al norte de Turquía.
Earthsight, una organización ambiental sin fines de lucro, publicó un informe de investigación sobre "madera caliente", donde alega que la madera talada ilegalmente del oeste de Ucrania con certificación del Consejo de Administración Forestal (FSC, por sus siglas en inglés) se está vendiendo a través de un intermediario rumano a la multinacional sueca IKEA.
"La Internacional de Trabajadores de la Construcción y la Madera, ICM condena el ataques cobardes contra la línea de piqueteos de trabajadores despedidos en la planta de Holcim Cement Davao en Filipinas el 22 de abril, llevado a cabo por desconocidos que se aprovechan de la pandemia de COVID y la orden del gobierno de permanecer en casa", dice Ambet Yuson, Secretario General de la ICM.
A los trabajadores subcontratados en la planta de cemento de LafargeHolcim en Sokhna, Egipto se les asignan los trabajos más peligrosos en la planta. Esta es una de las muchas prácticas laborales discriminatorias descubiertas por una investigación independiente.
Since 2018, HeidelbergCement in Egypt has reduced its workforce by at least 2,000 through attrition and by not extending fixed term contracts. In December 2019, an independent study found that almost half of the 474 workers are contract workers at its Suez plant, one of four plants owned by HeidelbergCement in Egypt, where discriminatory labour conditions are a concern.
More than two thirds of the total workforce at the Cement Fuheis Plant suffer from asthma, undoubtedly related to their exposure to dust at the workplace. To make matters worse, workers who do not pass health tests are not entitled to paid sick leave or paid sick retirement. These findings of an independently-conducted research raised concerns among BWI affiliates for these workers as respiratory illness increases the risk of complications should a worker contract COVID-19.
Workers at the Chakrey Ting cement factory in Kampot, Cambodia have concluded an agreement with the company at the Regional Labour Department that will see the reinstatement of its union vice president, Houn Houen.
On 26 May, 2020 the Swiss National Contact Point released its initial assessment on a case, referred to as a “specific instance”, submitted by the BWI on 12 December 2019 based on the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. The NCP concludes, “This report on the initial assessment by the Swiss National Contact Point (hereafter “Swiss NCP”) concludes that the issues raised in this submission merit further consideration on the specific context of the Philippines as well as on the global group level.”
En vísperas de la Asamblea General Anual de LafargeHolcim del 12 de mayo de 2020 en Suiza, sus trabajadores y obreros subcontratados en todo el mundo representados por la ICM, IndustriAll y la FETCM hacen un llamado urgente a los Accionistas de LafargeHolcim a través de una declaración conjunta.
Participants at the first European Regional Youth Assembly that took place in Stockholm, Sweden partook in an action at Sergel square at the city centre to protest the high level of deadly workplace accidents in the construction sector and send a clear message that every worker has the right to safe working conditions, as the right to live comes before profit.
On 25 March 2019 in Chisinau, Moldova, the Trade Union Federation of Construction and Building Materials Workers of the Republic of Moldova (SINDICONS), and the Federation of Construction and Woodworking Unions of Israel (Histadrut) signed a cooperation Agreement to ensure the protection Moldovan migrant workers working construction sites in Israel.
On 6 March Venezuelan construction trade unions, including three BWI affiliates (FENATCS, FETRAMAQUIPES and FETRACONSTRUCCION) reached an agreement with the two chambers that groups construction employers (CVC and CBC).
SNSCAASC and FITCM-N, BWI affiliates in Nicaragua, signed a Regulatory Framework Agreement with the Nicaraguan Chamber of Construction (CNC) to ensure workers from subcontracting companies and outsourcing agencies receive legal and occupational protection, in accordance with the current Collective Bargaining Agreement for the construction sector in the country.
The Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour, and Social Affairs (MADLSA) and Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) organised a Community Leaders’ Forum on Workers’ Welfare on 15 February 2019 in Doha, Qatar.
On 29 January 2019, the management of Global Hydropower Associate with the help of local goons beat up the workers who were organizing plant level trade union at the workplace.
Hundreds of workers throughout Peru took the streets on January 15, against labor flexibilization promoted by employers and to demand to the government of President Martín Vizcarra, the reactivation of the construction industry.
3 December 2018: Turkish construction union, Turkish Union of Road, Construction and Building Workers (YOL-IS) have issued a harsh press statement denouncing the lack of safety and health in all sectors including construction throughout Turkey.
In Seoul, South Korea at the National Assembly the Korean Federation of Construction Industry Trade Union (KFCITU) held a photo exhibit show casing a series of photos highlighting women working in the construction industry in South Korea. The exhibit is a collection of photos submitted by photo journalists, freelancers, and others as part of the photo contest.
The threat of a strike action at the 870MW Suki Kinari hydro project in Northern Pakistan has compelled China Gezhouba Group to accept key workers’ demands, according to the Pakistan Federation of Building and Wood Workers’ (PFBWW).
To avoid a general strike the trade union Histadrut and the Israeli government finally reached an agreement on better safety regulations at workplaces, particularly on construction sites.
The global union network at HeidelbergCement held two days of intensive discussions and exchanges on 1 and 2 November in Frankfurt, Germany, about the situation in different countries where the company is present.
On 19th of October 2018, at the 10th Assembly of the Trade Union of Industry of Construction (SGH), the delegates re-elected Jasenka Vuksic as president and adopted the SGH Program Orientation for 2018-2022.
Members of the Sabah timber union are elated after yesterday’s decisive secret ballot election victory at Sabah Forest Industries (SFI) in Sipitang, Malaysia, clearing the way for them to begin collective bargaining.
On 1-4 October the BWI participated in the Human Rights Advisory Board’s visit to Doha, Qatar. The Board met with FIFA’s Local Organising Comitte and the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy which is responsible for building the infrastructure around the World Cup.
The BWI has published a new report summarizing the findings of a damning investigation by the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman to the International Financing Corporation (IFC), an independent monitoring mechanism for the World Bank’s IFC.
Members of the Construction and General Site Workers’ Union (CSGWU) in Hong Kong have joined protests on Sunday 14 October against a Government plan to build several artificial islands to ease Hong Kong’s overcrowding problem.
On 28 September the BWI and its Japanese Affiliates Council (BWI-JAC) held an international forum looking at the risks to human rights involved in the preparation for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.
The unions representing the workers of Votorantim Cimentos SA in Brazil and Argentina have decided to request for a meeting with the company to analyze proposals for a unified system of collective bargaining and social dialogue in Brazil.
The BWI condemns the recent attacks on construction workers who are exercising their fundamental rights at a construction site project at the New Istanbul Airport.
In 2016 the Israeli tower crane operator Keti Karolov got fired after refusing to continue working in stormy weather. Now, a court has ruled the dismissal illegal and that her employer violated safety rules.
Migrant workers building the Imperial Pacific casino and resort on the island of Saipan, which is part of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, have suffered abuses such as unpaid wages, severe injuries, and retaliation.
150 workers at the construction company RG Engenharia in Dourados in central Brazil are on strike after their employer refused to sign a collective bargaining agreement.
The Building and Wood Workers’ International has been informed by the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy in Qatar that a 23-year old Nepalese man was killed yesterday morning, the 14th of August, while working on the project site of Al Wakram Stadium, one of the facilities for the 2022 World Cup games.
The German construction workers union IG BAU has reached an agreement with the construction company Hochtief that will give construction workers a pay rise of 7,14 per cent in three stages until 2020.
Last week 18 000 construction workers went out on the streets of Zürich to demonstrate against a proposal from the employers to raise the retirement age.
In May 2018 the Ministry of Labour issued an act for the extension of the application of the Collective Bargaining Agreement to all employers in the construction industry in Croatia.
Today, on the opening of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia, the BWI and its 12 million members around the world express condolences to the families of the twenty-one construction workers who died during construction of World Cup stadiums.
On 5 June 2018, the Swiss National Compact Point (NCP) responsible for the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises concluded its follow-up on the BWI complaint against FIFA that focused on the 2020 World Cup Games in Qatar.
April 30 2018 - On the eve of May Day in Doha, close to 200 participants attended the BWI “Community Leaders Forum on Workers’ Welfare in the Construction and Allied Sectors” in Doha, Qatar.
For the first time, the Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) commemorated International Workers’ Memorial Day (IWMD) in Qatar by supporting the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs (ADLSA) 2nd National OSH Conference and participating in various site-level activities to raise awareness on safety and health.
Today, as the 2018 Winter Olympics begin in PyeongChang, South Korea, the Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) and the Korean Federation of Construction Industry Trade Unions (KFCITU) have released a joint report outlining violations of construction workers’ rights throughout the Olympic construction process.
A local police inquiry has begun into the death of two contract workers that occurred at the Ambuja Cement Plant in Baloda Bazar in the Indian State of Chhattisgarh.
A few hours ago leaders of the Sabah Timber Industry Employees’ Union (STIEU) emerged from the Court of Appeal in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah (Malaysia), elated from the news that Sabah Forest Industries’ (SFI) latest attempt to frustrate union recognition had been thrown out by the Court.
The Construction Workers’ Union of the Republic of Argentina (UOCRA) is organizing an International Film Festival about work dedicated to promote and give visibility to socio-labor issues.
More than 200 timber mill workers remain locked out at Australia’s largest plywood mill at Myrtleford, Victoria, after failing to meet an agreement with the company. The mill is owned by the New Zealand multinational timber firm Carter Holt Harvey (CHH), who have a record of lockouts and poor faith in collective bargaining negotiations.
The BWI recently completed a solidarity mission to Ankara, Turkey, on April 10th and 11th 2017. The delegation included BWI President Per Olof Sjoo, Assistant Education Secretary Jasmin Rezpedovic, Vasyl Andreyev, PROFBUD President, Ukraine, and Co- Chair of the BWI Ad-hoc Working Group on Youth, and Dr. Fabiola Mieres, Global Project Coordinator. Gülsah Doruk, BWI's Project Coordinator in Turkey worked with BWI's Turkish affiliates in the preparations of the mission.
The trade unions in Argentina paralyzed the country during the strike called on 6 April 2017 against the measures of economic adjustments imposed by President Mauricio Macri.
The dispute was declared on the background of the deadlock in negotiations to arrange the employment conditions of approximately 1,200 crane operators in all the construction sites in the country
BWI presents a position paper to contribute to the global discussions on measurement of the conditions of forestry workers towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Today at a meeting in Jogjakarta the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Global Social Chamber supported and endorsed the Building and Wood Workers' International (BWI) initiative to having core labour standards embedded in all FSC policy standards.
The BWI and the Supreme Committee for Delivery (SC) and Legacy signed a Memorandum of Understanding last November 2016 and took effect in January 2017.
Lunar New Year is just around the corner, and like clockwork this has been proceeded by the annual rise in protests over wage arrears, as migrant workers prepare to return to their family to celebrate. This year protest activity has been particularly acute in the construction industry, according to the China Labour Bulletin.
Industri Enregi has a long history of cooperation with BWI in Africa which started in Zimbabwe and Swaziland, about HIV/AIDS, Ethiopia on the same issue of HIV/AIDS and now with the Timber and Woodworkers Union of Ghana in the Furniture sector.
A study implemented to 113 cement companies in 40 countries who cover most regions of the world, confirms the difficulty of the industry to integrate unions in its policy, "even when the sample of the plants studied is atypical," said SECAFI Groupe Alpha, the entity who performed the analysis.
This September 28th, in Panama City, initiated the Global Conference Cement with a participation of 150 leaders of unions affiliated to BWI in 43 countries worldwide, in order to make a study on labor relations, outsourcing, health and safety, change climate, remuneration and social protection in the cement industry.
This month union leaders at the Theng Sreng Import Export Co. Ltd, a supplier of building materials (including window and door frames and roofing) to one of Cambodia’s largest house-building firms, were terminated from their employment after forming a union and holding elections.
The BWI is supporting the struggle of 55 maintenance workers at Carlton United Breweries (CUB), members of BWI-affiliate the Electrical Trades Union (ETU) and our partner the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU).
The mining project that risks destroying the forests, jobs and water for the people in the Artvin province in Turkey has been halted following a court decision.
The Belgian National Contact Person (NCP) of the OECD has accepted a complaint filed by the Building and Wood Workers’ International and its Argentinian affiliate — Ceramic Workers' Union of the Republic of Argentina (FOCRA) — against the Belgian ETEX Group under the OECD Multinational Enterprise Guidelines.
The IVth Congress of the Trade Union of Civil Engineering, Industry and Planning of Republic of Macedonia, SGIP, held on 21 May 2016 in Krusevo Macedonia, gathered 39 delegates, with a participation of more than 30 per cent of young and women delegates.
A group of over one hundred rail workers in Hong Kong held a sit-in strike on Monday to protest the failure of their employer to pay HKD$7 million wages (~USD$900,000) owed to them over a month and a half period.
The biggest 'blacklisting' scandal in UK construction industry history has seen the court case end in victory as 256 workers are set to receive more than £10 million in compensation.
The deceased bodies of at least 35 out of 41 missing Chinese construction workers have now been found, after a massive landslide hit a hydropower construction site in China’s Fujian Province early on Sunday morning.
On 29 April 2016, press releases were issued by construction firms and unions involved in the High Court trial on blacklisting of union members in the UK.
At the recent Congress of the Swedish Painters’ Union close to 150 delegates elected a new leadership to lead the Malareforbundet under the banner of “Equal Values for the Trade Union Movement in the Future.”
The BWI and the Ceramic Workers' Union of the Republic of Argentina (FOCRA) has filed a complaint against Etex Group under the Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises of the The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Due the importance that the Building and Wood Worker´s International (BWI) gives to the recent conflicts in various countries resulted of the restructuring that Etex Group has carried out since 2013, we published a note of the representatives of Etex Group in Europe.
A statement of last January 8th, sent to the Regional Office of the Building and Wood Worker´s International (BWI) from its subsidiary in Argentina, Ceramic Workers' Union of the Republic of Argentina (FOCRA), reports that the trade union if workers of the Company Ceramica San Lorenzo, belonging to the Plant Azul began a few days ago a total labor strike since the Etex Group fired a "hundred" workers.
It is estimated that 30% of the world's area is covered by forests and some 13,2 million people are employed in the formal forestry sector. The BWI works for both the protection of wood and forest workers´ rights and we foster the idea that workers can play a key role in maintaining our forests, provided that their rights are respected. We also support the forest certification systems to create economically, environmentally and socially sustainable forests.
Earlier this month, leaders of BWI affiliates in Sweden was awarded for their hard-work on ensuring better working and living conditions for workers in the construction sector in relation to international mega-sports events.
On 21 March Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced that he will dissolve both Houses of Parliament if the Senate doesn’t pass bills to reconstitute the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC), a move which could pave the way for an election on 2 July.
BWI affiliate Rakennusliitto ry – Byggnadsförbundet rf – Construction Trade Union has produced the following material in different languages for International Workers Memorial day.
More than two weeks after the tragic death of Juanito B. Pardillo and injuries sustained by his two Filipino colleagues at their job site, the investigation report has yet to be concluded by the Qatari authorities.
The Construction and Unorganised Workers Federation (CUWF) – a state-wide federation led by the BWI affiliate TKTMS –organized its State Level General Body meeting on 19th January 2016 at Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu State, India.
After extensive negotiations in 2015, the Trade Union of Construction and Building Materials of Montenegro, SGIGMCG, concluded with the Employers Association of Montenegro the national branch Collective Bargaining Agreement on amendments to the CBA for the construction and building materials industry.
“Working as a welder in a construction company where the majority of workers are men is a big challenge for me,” said Melody Lavarez, Chair of the Pinay Tradeswomen.
“The coverage of all workers and employers will have multiple positive effects”, says Jasenka Vuksic, president of the SGH in Croatia and member of the World Council of the BWI.
Indian authorities must do more to protect the rights of workers abroad. This message was delivered at a trade union conference in Chennai in South Indian state Tamil Nadu organized by the construction workers’ union TKTMS.
“The coverage of all workers and employers will have multiple positive effects”, says Jasenka Vuksic, president of the SGH in Croatia and member of the World Council of the BWI. A new Collective Bargaining Agreement for the construction industry was concluded in Croatia on the occasion of the Construction Workers Day on 25 September 2015 and issued on 15 December 2015.
After the successful negotiations of the Trade Union of Construction Industry of Croatia, SGH, and the Construction Industry Association of Croatia HUP-UPG last year, both social partners also signed a joint proposal submitted to the Ministry of Labour and Retirement System for the coverage of all workers and employers, including those that are not members of the SGH and HUP-UPG, by the signed Collective Bargaining Agreement.
The new Collective Bargaining Agreement introduced few innovations in terms of rights and obligations of the workers’ health and safety representative, education and training for work, and in particular, working time, breaks and leaves. The CBA regulates also the salaries/tariffs, allowances and material rights of workers and the conditions for work of the trade union. The rights of posted workers is regulated in an additional annex to the CBA. With the accession of Croatian in the EU in 2013 Croatian workers can freely work, without restrictions in more than 15 EU countries.
For Jasenka Vuksic: ”Among others equalization of the material and social situation of the workers, the removal of unfair competition in the construction industry because of using cheaper and exploited labour force and mitigating undeclared work and the gray economy, control of calculation and payment of gross salary.”
SGH and HUP-UPG are continuously developing their partnership. In the frame of an EU funded project, implemented by the UATUC (to which SGH is affiliated) and the HUP, a joint data base, including 200 collective bargaining agreements out of 550 that are in force in the country - 29 related to the construction industry, has been developed and presented in October 2015. In addition, the data includes 150 indicators for each CBA which allows an analysis of the content and provides statistics. See www.kolektivni-ugovori.info
Among the various initiatives, the SGH has, recently initiated the discussion about the development of paritarian funds in the construction industry and is continuing with its organising drives in infrastructure projects.
The Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2016 has informed the Building and Wood Workers‘ International (BWI) that they have partially incorporated the BWI OHS Protocol as their policies.
The crackdown against the labour movement in South Korea continues. On the 29th of December, Kim Gi-hong who is a member of the Korea Plant Construction Workers' Union was arrested in his home for taking part in the rally on 14 November 2015.
The Autonomous Trade Union of Road Maintenance Workers of Serbia, ATURMW, initiated a round table on the topic „Law on Public Procurement in the Light of the New EU Directive on Public Procurement to be adopted during the second quarter of 2017.
107 union representatives and shop stewards gathered in Antalya, Turkey, to learn and share experiences on how to organise new members to fight for better working conditions – especially for rural forest workers and migrants who work in precarious employment.
With the creation of the Workers' Trade Union of Faber-Castell in Peru a new step is given towards the genuine social dialogue and labour relations between the German multinational and its workers at the facilities of the city of Lima, Peru.
Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APP) held a one-day National Workshop on Forest Sustainability Certification and Labor in Jakarta, Indonesia on 17 December 2015.
Las industrias y el comercio aliados incluyen varios subsectores como la minería y canteras, el aserrado y el cepillado de la madera, la fabricación de otros productos minerales no metálicos, la construcción de edificios, la ingeniería civil, las actividades de construcción especializada y las actividades de arquitectura e ingeniería.
Se estima que el 30% de la superficie mundial está cubierta por bosques y unos 13,2 millones de personas están empleadas en el sector forestal de manera formal. La ICM trabaja por la protección de los derechos de los trabajadores forestales y de madera y fomentamos la idea de que los trabajadores pueden desempeñar un papel clave en el mantenimiento de nuestros bosques, siempre y cuando se respeten sus derechos. También apoyamos los sistemas de certificación forestal para crear bosques económicamente, ambientalmente y socialmente sostenibles.
El sector de materiales de construcción es un sector en rápido crecimiento, paralelo al sector de la construcción. Incluye una amplia gama de proveedores, desde fabricantes de cemento hasta fabricantes de vidrio y cerámica, además de proporcionar un gran mercado para fabricantes de pinturas y cableado, y una gran cantidad de otras industrias relacionadas. Tiene un papel clave para generar la transición a una economía baja en carbono mediante la producción de materiales de construcción alternativos, los cuales reemplacen materiales de construcción peligrosos que causan preocupaciones ambientales y de salud.
The building materials sector is a fast-growing sector parallel with the building and construction sector. It includes a diverse range of suppliers, from cement manufacturers to glass and ceramic manufacturers, as well as providing a large market for paint and wiring manufacturers, and a host of other related industries. It has a key role to generate the transition to a low-carbon economy by producing alternative building materials to replace the hazardous building materials causing environmental and health concerns.
El sector de la construcción comprende una amplia gama de actividades económicas y es uno de los mayores proveedores mundiales de empleo - alrededor del 7% de la fuerza de trabajo a nivel mundial. La ICM lucha por la protección de los derechos de los trabajadores, principalmente mediante la aplicación de leyes y reglamentos, y por la promoción de condiciones de trabajo decentes en conjunto con la dimensión social del desarrollo sostenible en el crecimiento económico, la conservación del medio ambiente y la sociedad.
The construction sector comprises a wide range of economic activities and it is one of the biggest global employment provider – around 7 per cent of the labour force. The BWI struggles for the protection of workers´ rights mainly through enforcement of legislation and regulations and by promoting decent working conditions together with the social dimension of sustainable development in economic growth, environmental conservation and society.
